Triceratops
'Triceratops' (name meaning "''Three-Horned Face"), often called Trike for short, is a genus of ceratopsian dinosaur that originated during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now North America. Measuring around 9 meters long, weighing over 10 tons, and due to its large frill and impressive set of three horns, Triceratops is the largest and best-known member of the well-armored Ceratopsian family as well as one of the world's most famous and recognizable of all dinosaurs. Triceratops was one of the last dinosaurs to have ever existed before the great extinction event at the end of the period. In the Series 2 finale "Fall of a Kingdom Part II: The Return of the King", a small herd of eight Triceratops were brought back to the park from prehistoric Montana of 65 million years ago. They reside in the Ceratopsian Grassland enclosure. The leader of the group is a large female named Sarah and her son's name is Theo. Facts Era & Discovery Triceratops lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous period around 73 million years ago and it died out with all the other dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous, as it was one of the last dinosaurs to go extinct around 65 million years ago. Although Triceratops has been described as the apex vegetarian of its time, they were still preyed upon by the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex, in addition to being one of T. rex's favorite sources of food. When the fossils of Triceratops were first discovered in Colorado, North America in 1889, John Bell Hatcher and Othniel Charles Marsh named the dinosaur "Triceratops horridus", which, as it turns out, means "Horrid Three-Horned Face." Since their discovery, Triceratops is thus far the largest ceratopsian discovered and among the world's most famous dinosaurs. Physical Attributes Triceratops was a large, heavyset quadruped dinosaur, with a fully grown adult measuring roughly 30 feet (9 m) long, standing 9.5 feet (2.9 m) tall, weighing as much as 8–12 tons (16,000–24,000 lbs.), and having a skull up to 9–11 feet (2.8–3.5 m) in length. This makes Triceratops the largest member of the ceratopsian family of dinosaurs. If a human was ever unfortunate enough to stand in the way of a charging Triceratops, it would be comparable to being hit by a train moving 10–15 mph (16–24 km/h). Bearing a large bony frill and three horns on its large four-legged body (two long, sharp horns above its eyes and a smaller horn on its nose), and conjuring similarities with the modern rhinoceros, Triceratops is one of the most recognizable of all dinosaurs and the best-known ceratopsid. Unlike most of its relatives, Triceratops lacked the two holes that are covered with skin on its bony frill, allowing it to use it as a shield to its neck as well as using it for display. Much like their smaller Asian cousins Protoceratops, the front end of its jaws ended in a sort of a beak that enabled the dinosaur to snap branches as thick as a man's arm as well as browse the fronds and twigs of the woody plants that were contemporary to the end of the Cretaceous. Its limbs were thick and the hind legs were somewhat longer than the fore, which had a digitigrade posture, i.e. the weight was distributed to its toes, rather than the whole foot. Capabilities and Weaponry *'Head:' Even without the use of its horns and frill, Triceratops was able to use its large head to fight against opposing dinosaurs. Additionally, it also had defensive headgear that it could use against both attackers and even its own kind. **'Frill:' Triceratops possessed a large bony frill to protect its neck and shoulders. **'Horns:' Like most ceratopsian dinosaurs, Triceratops possessed two long horns that it could use against attackers, piercing the flesh of predators. *'Strength:' Due to its massive size, Triceratops was a very strong dinosaur, enough so to push a tractor over on its side. Behavior & Traits Like many herbivores and other members of the ceratopsian family, Triceratops lived and traveled in large herds of hundreds or even thousands of individuals filling up the plains in North America like modern-day bison used to do. A herd of them would have been a glorious sight. A fully grown Triceratops was far from defenseless, as their frill was made of solid bone. While adult Triceratops were able to stand against giant theropods, even ones like Tyrannosaurus, younger Triceratops knew better than to stand their ground. For youngsters to grow to 8 tons, they spent most of their lives feeding. Whenever Triceratops fed, these weren't grazing animals like cows. Instead, they were browsers like black rhinos. As such, Triceratops feed on low trees and shrubs. Another part of their lives was jousting with one another, which is what Triceratops did in the wild. Like most, if not, all other members of the ceratopsian family, Triceratops had jousting tournaments in nature during times like mating season (when males fought over females), when two males were fighting for dominance, or when juveniles jousted for fun, injuring their frill and neck. But regardless of how they lived, fought, and protected themselves, Triceratops was a magnificent dinosaur. Despite their fearsome appearance, Triceratops was, in fact, a gentle and inoffensive giant vegetarian that would only attack if they felt threatened or challenged. It also instinctively disliked the color red and was easily aggravated by the sight of it into charging. Journal Entry Gallery Triceratops Creek.jpg 1x1_TriceratopsVSTyrannosaurus.jpg Images-0.jpg Groovy_Theo_Triceratops_Next.png Trivia *''Triceratops'' was the last and largest ceratopsian dinosaur to be brought to the park. *As one of the last dinosaurs to have evolved, Triceratops represents, along with the other freshly evolved species, a new faunal phase of the Dinosauria, that was killed in its tracks prematurely. *The sound effects of Triceratops are that of elephant, bull, camel, cow, horse, and other dinosaur sounds. Category:Prehistoric Animals Category:Dinosaurs Category:Reptiles Category:Cretaceous Dinosaurs Category:Cretaceous Wildlife Category:Ceratopsians Category:Most Famous Prehistoric Creatures Category:Herbivores Category:North American Creatures